khaaan wrote:If it's not too much trouble, could you include a link to a Pali version of the sutta?

The Access to Insight translations have links to the Pali versions (see the "PTS" links at the top of each sutta). Another good resource is http://www.suttacentral.net/ which gives access to Pali and translated versions.

I realized quickly after having so many 'ah ha!' moments that I needed somebody that I could discuss it with. I haven't been able to generate much interest locally for a book study group, but perhaps I could host one on Dhammawheel. Would it be possible to start a book study for this book on the forum? I would be glad to host it and set the "due dates".

Thank you very much for the suggestion and offer. I'm not certain if this forum, or the meditation forum, is the best place for such a discussion. However, since this forum is called "Study Group", not "Sutta Study Group" we might as well get started here and we could always move it if it seemed that somewhere else was more appropriate. It would be great if you could try to think out some structured way of approaching it, and give some guidance. An obvious approach would be to discuss it chapter by chapter.

I would advise not being in too much of a rush. Looking at each chapter over a couple of weeks would be the sort of speed I'd recommend. That would give interested readers time to think, and locate references.

The "study group" is not a real-time gathering. It is just a forum where someone (me at the moment) posts a sutta, or related material, each week, and members are free to discuss it. I lock the topics after about two weeks.

If someone would like to discuss a particular sutta, then either let me know, and I can post it, or simply start a thread yourself in the "General Theravada" forum.

May I suggest that we study the suttas in a more systematic manner: we select and study all the important suttas concerning one topic and focus on this topic until it's well understood. For instance, we can start with dana, and study one (or more if similar) sutta per week until we finish all the important suttas on dana, and have a relatively complete overview and understanding of dana: what's exactly the "dana" that the Buddha's taught us to do, why it should be done, how it should done, ...

I also suggest that we study the topics systematically according to the sequence of the path/practice. In order to achieve this, an outline of the sequence needs to be made and discussed, for instance:

dana/caga -- sila -- bhavana ... (it should be much more detailed than this).

Please excuse me if similar suggestions have been made, I've to admit I didn't read all the 44 suggestions on this thread.

That's a good suggestion, in fact it is in line with what we've been doing (though it might not always seem like that). We started back in 2009 going through some of the MN suttas in the sequence that Bhikkhu Bodhi used for his talks on the MN, and his ordering of topics in "In the Buddha's words". viewtopic.php?f=25&t=345#p3354

For the past three years we have been working through the Samyutta Nikaya, using Bhikkhu Bodhi's suggested sequence: viewtopic.php?f=25&t=345#p88300We have almost finished Part V, which is to do with the fourth Truth. We are now on the last Samyutta, specifically about the Four Noble Truths.

In this time I alternated the SN thematic suttas with other suttas, and left the threads open for two weeks. Sometimes the alternating suttas are in the theme of the SN suttas, as with this week's sutta on the Noble Truths viewtopic.php?f=25&t=18086 Sometimes they are a contrast.

I have SN 56 and other suttas on the Four Noble Truths in my notes for about the next six weeks. That leaves the "minor" chapters that don't fit into Bhikkhu Bodhi's thematic sequence.

Thank you for the suggestions. I am not sure if it is practical to put themes in titles. I often have trouble fitting the title into the space available. I will continue to post in the schedule thread which theme we are up to though and I'll try to remember to put in links so that the sections can be located.

Thanks for selecting the suttas and your helpful information/analyses. I wonder if it would be better not to lock the threads in the sutta study group, so that comments and discussions can be made at any time about the suttas, which will be more beneficial to our Dhamma study. In addition, it might be better to allow the edition of posted threads in this subforum, to correct errors and etc. for the benefit of the readers. I believe that only serious practitioners will join the discussions.

Thank you for your suggestions. We have discussed the Study Group among moderators and admins and we have decided to keep it as it is for now.

If you want to comment on a locked post in the Study Group, please start a new thread in the General Theravada section, and include a link to the thread. The moderators may then include a link to that thread in the Study Group thread, and/or modify any mistakes.

If you want to discuss a particular sutta you can either post or PM a suggestion, or else start your own thread in the General Theravada section. We welcome threads the discuss suttas!